Emotion Is Dead
by kaylx
Summary: Sequel to ‘Patience Still Waiting’. Drama with the Cohens
1. 1

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing…Maybe one day. But for now it's all FOX and Josh Schwartz.

A/N: This is a sequel to 'Patience Still Waiting'. If you haven't read it…then I suggest you do read it before you start reading this. I know, I know…PSW is a long story, but I think you'll be glad you did read it in the end. Also, I had a lot of reviews asking if I was going to split Seth and Summer up. I'm not. Don't worry. All couples are happy, or at least…Try to be happy. Oh, and I love Ryan…So, just because I'm focusing more on Seth, doesn't mean I'm not having Ryan and Marissa in this fic. Ben, Connor and Emily will be in here as well. Okay, enough about the story…Read on and please review. I need to know if I should change the story…continue it, or throw it out of the window.

CHAPTER ONE

"Dr. Cohen, your wife is on line two." Grace, the receptionist, informed him. Seth handed Grace his last file of the day.

"Thanks, Grace." Seth thanked her and went to his office. "Hey." He answered the phone, slouching down in his comfy leather chair.

"Hey to you, too!" Summer replied. "When are you going to be home, Cohen? Dinner's ready and you promised Elijah that you two would do something tonight. You haven't forgotten, have you?" She asked. She knew their eight-year-old would be disappointed if Seth had forgotten.

"No, no, no. Of course not." Seth assured her. "I'm leaving now. I'll be home in ten minutes, okay?"

"Fine. Oh, pick up some dinner!"

"Didn't you just say dinner's ready?" Seth questioned. "I thought you made something."

"Cohen! I've been occupied all day by entertaining our son. Apparently, he doesn't believe in any sunshine and would prefer to stay in the house all day. We really need to find him something to do for the summer. And fast, because he's driving me nuts."

"Okay, okay. Gotcha, find something for Eli to do. Okay, I'll pick up some Chinese. I'll be home soon, bye." Seth dropped his phone down on the cradle and grabbed his jacket. He told the receptionists to have a wonderful evening and left the office.

Seth walked over to his car, the only car in the parking lot, and took out his keys. He dropped his keys on the ground by mistake and bent down to pick them up. "Ow." He mumbled to himself, as he stood back up. His back had been killing all day and for some odd reason, this morning he had a hard time lifting his feet over the bathroom tub. Something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what. "Forty isn't old, is it?" He asked himself as he picked up the Chinese food. He shook his head and starting laughing. "Great, I'm talking to myself." He pulled up to his street and drove slowly as he passed Ryan's house. He wondered if he was home right now. They hadn't talked in over two days, which was something new. They were usually inseparable. Much like Marissa and Summer.

"Finally!" Summer hugged Seth and took the Chinese food from him. She unloaded the food on the table and called over Eli.

"So, what did you do today, Eli?" Seth asked, in between bits.

Eli shrugged. "The usual."

"Ah, video games and comic books." Seth laughed.

"And bugging me." Summer added.

"I did not." Elijah shoved some rice into his mouth. "You bugged me, mom. I didn't ask you to play video game with me all afternoon."

Seth shot her a look and Summer blushed. "Hey, I need to practice if you want to beat you two." She quickly said. She grabbed her empty plate and took it to the sink. "So, are you two going to a movie tonight or something…Like the IMac or whatever?"

"IMAX." Seth corrected her.

"Whatever. So, what's playing there?"

"Something about scuba diving." Seth replied, picking up the brochure beside him. "So, are you up to it, Eli?" He asked.

"Are we going with Uncle Ryan?" He asked. They usually all went together.

"If you want."

"Okay, I'll go call Emily." He said, running away from the kitchen table and picking up the phone.

Seth was exhausted. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"You okay, Cohen?" Summer asked, rubbing his shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired." He kissed her, tasting her strawberry lip-gloss. "It was just a long day at work, that's all."

"You know what?" She asked. "I think you need to get away from the office. The last time you took time off was when Elijah had the chicken pocks two years ago, and that wasn't even a vacation. We were all miserable."

"Summer, I can't take time off."

"Why not?" She pouted.

"Because I have patients who depend on me."

"Cohen, there are other doctors there besides you. Please, just take a week off? We could get away from Newport and have a family vacation. I know Eli would love it." Summer said. Seth smiled at her and shook his head. "At least think about it?"

"Fine. I'll think about it." He replied. He knew he wasn't going to think about. As much as he wanted to go on a vacation with Summer and Eli, he knew that he had patients depending on him. Also, he loves his job. A week without helping children would crush his poor little heart. Damn, when did he ever get like this? He laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Summer asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Okay." Eli interrupted them. "Uncle Ryan is coming with us and Connor too. Emily won't come because she's afraid of water."

"Right. I forgot about that." Seth said.

Elijah ran upstairs to his bedroom to grab something while Seth waited by the door for him. "So, what are you going to do tonight, without me." He asked Summer.

"The usual."

"Ah, I see. Marissa's coming over?"

"Yup." She replied.

Eli came back downstairs and ran out the door over to his Uncle's house.

"I'll see you later." Seth kissed Summer and left.

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"You okay, Seth?" Ryan asked, as he watched Seth walk over to the car. "You're limping."

"What?" Seth asked. "I'm fine." He took out his keys and they dropped to the ground again. "Crap, second time today." He mumbled to himself, as he bent down. He grabbed his keys and couldn't move.

"Dad, can you unlock the car?" Elijah asked. He was waiting next to Connor at the car door.

"Hey, you plan on getting up soon? Or would you like us to leave you here?" Ryan joked.

Seth winced in pain as he stood back up. He threw the keys over to Ryan. "I think you should drive." He said and then climbed into the passenger seat.

Ryan started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. Connor and Elijah were talking back and forth between each other about the movie in the back seat. Ryan glanced over at Seth. He could tell something was up. "You okay?" Ryan asked.

"What?" Seth asked, looking away from the window.

"You look…Like you're in pain or something."

"Can I blame it on old age?" Seth joked.

"We're not old." Ryan replied, gripping the steering wheel.

"Dad, give it up." Connor said from the back seat. "At the age of forty, you get considered old. Face it." He laughed.

"That's not true. Your Grandma and Grandpa…They're old." Ryan replied, stopping at a red light. "They've retired to a life of golf. So, they're old."

"Old timer's." Connor corrected. "You guys are 'old'. There's a difference."

Seth shook his head and laughed. "I'm fine, Ryan. Really. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Okay." Ryan said, but didn't believe him.

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Elijah woke up the next morning to the sound of his dad's alarm clock. Usually it only lasted a minute or two and then he could hear his dad curse at it and shut it off. This morning was different. The alarm had been buzzing for over five minutes now and all Elijah wanted to do was sleep in. He threw off his covers and walked down the hallway to his parent's bedroom.

"Dad!" Elijah banged on the door. "It's summer, I want sleep."

"Okay." He heard his mom mumble. "Cohen." She slapped his arm. "Turn off the alarm."

Seth mumbled incoherently, as he brought his hand over the alarm clock. It felt like such a huge task to do something so small. He groaned loudly as the buzzer shut off. He was not in the mood to get up at all right now. Just the thought of sitting up in his bed was giving him a headache already.

"Cohen, you're going to be late for work." Summer sat up in the bed and looked down at him.

Seth sighed and brought himself up to a sitting position. He smiled at Summer and leaned in for a kiss.

Summer pulled herself back. "Cohen, you haven't brushed your teeth yet. Your morning breath is deadly. Back off." She warned him, putting her hand to her mouth. Seth kissed her hand and shifted on the bed. Summer could see how much the struggle it was for him to pull his feet over the side of the bed. "You okay? Maybe you're coming down with something. I know the flu going around. Hey, a reason to stay home…with me!"

Seth waved her off. "I'm fine." He said, walking over to the bathroom. Seth shut the bathroom door behind him and went straight over to the medicine cabinet. He grabbed a bottle of back pain medicine and tore it open. He cupped a mouthful of water and swallowed a pill. After checking himself over in the mirror he turned on the shower and tossed his boxer's to the side. He cautiously climbed into the shower stall, wincing in pain as he brought his foot over the edge.

After his shower Seth walked back into the room to find Summer still sitting up in bed. It looked as though she was waiting for him.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay home today? We could do something fun…Without Elijah, if you know what I mean."

Seth laughed at her and leaned in to kiss her, but Summer brought her hand up to her mouth again. "I brushed." He said. Summer removed her hand and they kissed.

"So, not even sex can make you stay home from work now?" Summer questioned.

Seth pulled on his dress pants, looking up at her. "I didn't say that."

"Then stay home." Summer replied.

"I can't. I have patients today that have appointments with me. I promise I'll take some time off later. Just not today, okay?"

"Fine." Summer pouted.

Seth gave her another kiss. "I'll see you later." He said and then left the bedroom. Seth grabbed a bagel on his way out, before he into his car to drive to the office. Throughout the whole drive there, all Seth could think about was the pain he had in his legs, back and arms. He wasn't sure if this was just an old age/back problem. This was something more – he knew it had to be. He was only forty. His dad didn't even show signs of back problems until he was fifty and that was only because Sandy surfed. Seth didn't surf.

Seth pulled up to the lonesome parking lot and parked his car in his respective parking spot. He held his breath as he opened the car door and climbed out. Damn, Seth thought to himself, something was up. The first thing he was going to do today was find out exactly what was wrong with him.

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	2. 2

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing but the children in the story. (Please read and review!)

A/N: For those of you who don't remember from my story 'Patience Still Waiting', Chris is Seth's friend from San Diego who he went to med. school with. Okay, I wanted to post ASAP…So, sorry for any grammar errors. Oh, and for those of you wondering where 'Emotion Is Dead' is from…it's from The Juliana Theory.

CHAPTER TWO

Seth sat in his study, in his house, flipping through medical textbooks that he had gathered over the years in San Diego. He still couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Although, lately he found that his legs didn't hurt as much as they did before, but now the joints in his hands were screaming in pain as he turned the pages of the textbook.

Frustrated, Seth shut the textbook in front of him and slouched down in his chair. He listened to the sounds of the video game playing in the next room. Seth decided to join his son in a friendly match of Playstation.

He walked into the den and sat down next to Elijah, grabbing the controller. "I'm in and you are so going down." Seth taunted him. "I've had many years of practice, not to mention I was the champion for five years against your Uncle Ryan until he beat me…But who wants to hear that story, huh?"

"Whatever, Dad." Elijah rolled his eyes. They began fighting against each other at Mortal Combat – The greatest hits.

"So, where's Mom?" Seth asked, in between moves. His fingers were starting to kill him. As much as he wanted to put the controller down, he couldn't.

"She said something about a sale somewhere."

"It better be a Tupperware…She's got way too much clothing for a woman of her age." Seth joked. "We only have one walk-in closet, and we all know how not-so-handy I am, so…There's no way I'm building her another closet."

"Oh, oh!" Elijah bounced in his seat, as he thrashed Seth's character on the screen. "Look who's the loser now."

"Pure luck, Eli. You just caught me on my off day." Seth put the controller down and stood up. He felt a stabbing pain in his legs and quickly sat back down, rubbing the calves of his legs.

"You okay, Dad?" Elijah questioned, turning off the Television.

"I just pulled a muscle or something." Seth lied. "Hey, it's Saturday, we're both bored…What do you say we take a little trip today?" He asked. He really needed to find out what was wrong with him and fast because it was really starting to bug him.

"Okay!" Elijah jumped up. "Where to?"

"San Diego?" Seth asked.

Elijah sat back down on the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "We're going to visit your friend from the hospital, right?" Elijah replied. "That's boring."

"To you, but not to me. I hardly ever get to see Chris anymore. The last time I saw him was like two years ago."

"Yeah, but he doesn't have any kids, so it's boring for me." Elijah protested. "Besides, what about Mom?"

"Hey, she's shopping. I'm sure she won't want to come with us. Come on! It'll be just us, father and son, on a road trip to the unknown!"

"To San Diego." Elijah mumbled.

"Well, if you pretend that it's the unknown, then it sounds more exciting."

"Yay." Elijah threw his hands up in the air and pretended to be excited.

"Good. That's more like it. Now, I'll just go call your mother and tell her she can throw a party tonight, 'cause we're not going to be home until…Oh, say, eleven." Seth said and then left the den.

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"Coop, oh my God! Coop!" Summer held up a purple dress to her figure. "Doesn't this look so cute?"

Marissa laughed. "Yeah, but are you sure you want to buy more? I mean, look." She pointed to the bags she was carrying. "Don't you think you already have enough?"

"You can never have too much, Coop. Besides, Seth called and told me I could get whatever I wanted as long as it was reasonable. And this…" Summer held up the dress. "…Is reasonable."

"Yeah, well, hurry up and pay for it. If I leave Ryan with the kids for too long in the toy store…There could be a disaster. Also, Ben's coming over to visit this afternoon and I want to bake something for him to take home."

"Gotcha." Summer laughed and paid for the dress. They walked out of the store and headed over to the toy department. "Coop, have you noticed anything wrong with Seth, lately?" Summer asked.

"No, why?"

"Oh, I don't know. He just seems off. He's been working a lot in his office and we just never talk anymore. His work is definitely getting in the way, I guess."

"You don't sound too sure about that, Sum." Marissa noticed the uncertainty in her friends' voice. "What's really bothering you?"

"I don't know." Summer mumbled, as they walked down the isles in the toy department looking for Ryan and his kids. "I have my suspicions."

"Of?" Marissa stopped and looked at her. "You think he's having an affair?"

"What? No!" Summer shouted at her. They started walking again and then Summer stopped abruptly. "Okay, maybe I do think that. Is that wrong?"

Marissa shrugged. "Seth wouldn't do something like that to you, Sum. But if it makes you happy, I'll talk to Ryan about it and then maybe he can ask Seth what's going on."

"Okay, just make sure Seth doesn't think I suspect anything." Summer replied. "Oh, there they are." She pointed out Ryan. Ryan, Connor and Emily were looking at video games.

"Mom!" Emily ran up to Marissa. "Can I _pretty_ please have the new monster rally game!"

Marissa shook her head. "It already looks like your father has bought something for you, which you don't need."

Emily looked down at the new soccer ball. "He insisted."

"Right." Marissa laughed. She walked over to Ryan and Connor and tore the video games out of their hands. "Come on, let's go home before we buy the store."

"But –" Connor held up his finger.

"Home." Marissa turned and left the store.

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"Why are we whispering?" Chris whispered over to Seth. They were sitting in his kitchen drinking coffee. Elijah was in the living room watching T.V.

"'Cause I don't want little Cohen, over there, to hear anything." Seth whispered.

"Oh, right…So what's with the surprise visit? Is everything okay?" Chris asked.

"Everything is fine. I just need an honest opinion." Seth explained. "I think somethings wrong with me…I just don't know what, yet. I've looked through all my medical books and on the Internet and I've still come to no conclusions."

"Okay." Chris nodded. "So, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, man. First I thought it was just old age, right, because I was having back problems but now it's more and it's getting worse. Now the pain's in my legs, arms and hands. My wrists are starting to hurt too." Seth explained and then took a sip of his coffee.

"So, your fingers and wrists hurt?" Chris asked. Seth nodded his head. "Your flexor muscles."

"Exactly." Seth bobbed his head up and down. "Some days it's fine, like today, but other days I'm in pain."

"Any weight loss?"

"A couple of pounds, but nothing drastic." Seth replied.

"Seth, man, you need to go see a doctor."

"I am a doctor…And I came to you because I didn't know and you're a doctor too."

"Well, I meant like a doctor who specializes in what you've explained to me. I think you need to see a neurologist. You know, nervous system…Muscles…That sort of thing."

Seth laughed. "Yeah, I know what a neurologist is, Chris."

"Good. Go see one." Chris replied, holding his coffee mug in the air. "And soon, my friend, because stuff like this shouldn't be ignored."

"Yeah, you're right." Seth mumbled.

"We could go now, if you want. We'll just tell Elijah that you're visiting an old friend at the hospital." Chris offered.

"I need an appointment, Chris."

"Seth, I have connections." Chris grinned at him.

"Fine."

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Ryan woke up the next morning to Emily pouncing on top of him. "Dad, dad, dad." Emily sat on top of him. "Come on, you promised to play soccer with me this morning!"

Ryan rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. He looked over at the clock. It was eight o'clock in the morning – Too early, especially for a Sunday. He knew he had to talk to Seth today. Marissa seemed really concerned about him.

"Dad, dad, dad." Emily jumped up and down on him. "Please?"

Ryan grabbed Emily and started tickling her to death. Emily squealed and pleaded for him to stop.

"Let me just grab some coffee and then we'll play soccer in the backyard, okay?" Ryan said, getting out of the bed and walking downstairs.

"Fine." Emily pouted. "But hurry!" She followed him downstairs and into the kitchen, where her mom was sitting at the table with Connor.

"Hey, dad, can we go to that place there you were talking about yesterday?" Connor asked. Ryan gave him a confused look. "Dad, don't you remember? You told me we could go down to that baseball store."

"Oh, right." Ryan replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He sat down next to Marissa at the table, giving her a kiss as he put down his mug.

"Ryan, don't forget about what we talked about last night."

"I'm not going to get any rest today, am I?" He asked everyone. Marissa, Emily and Connor all shook their heads. "Well, then, there's no point in wasting time." Ryan got up and Emily followed him outside with her soccer ball.

After an hour of playing soccer with Emily in the backyard and an hour spent at the baseball store with Connor, Ryan finally found time to go see Seth.

"Hey, Uncle Ryan." Elijah opened the door and let him inside.

"Hey, kid." Ryan walked into the mansion and looked around. "Where's your dad?"

Elijah pointed to Seth's study. "He's been in there all morning."

"Thanks." Ryan thanked the youngest Cohen and knocked on Seth's study.

"I said in an hour!" Seth shouted.

Ryan opened the door and walked in.

"Oh, hey." Seth turned off his computer. "I thought you were Eli. He's been bugging me all morning."

"I see…" Ryan said, sitting down in a chair. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Why?" Seth questioned. "Is something supposed to be up that I don't know about?" He asked, closing the papers on his desk.

"No." Ryan shook his head. "I meant what is up with Seth Cohen."

"Oh. Right." Seth bobbed his head.

Ryan waited for him to begin his normal ramblings, but none came. "You've been hanging around me too much." Ryan joked. Seth shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Seth, what's up. I can read you like a book. I know something is wrong."

Seth laughed nervously. "That easy, huh?" Ryan nodded. "You're right, something is up but it's nothing to get all worried about."

"Okay…" Ryan didn't believe him. "Does it concern Summer?"

"No. Well, maybe in some ways one or another, uh…Yes." Seth fidgeted with the pen he was holding. "Everything is cool though. There's nothing to worry about." Seth lied. He knew there was lot's to worry about. Maybe not right now, but definitely in the near future.

"Okay." Ryan stood up. "Well, I just asked you only because Marissa asked me to. But if you say everything's fine, then everything must be fine." Ryan said. He started leaving.

"Wait." Seth called out. "Sit." He ordered and Ryan obeyed. "Why did Marissa ask you to ask me if I was okay?"

"Well…" Ryan trailed off. He knew he had just cornered himself.

"What?"

"Summer's worried." Ryan blurted out. "So, she asked Marissa to ask me to ask you."

Seth shook his head. "Why didn't Summer just come to me?"

"I don't know." Ryan shrugged. "She thinks that…That you're having an affair or something. Crazy, huh?" Ryan laughed.

"Shit. No. I'm not having an affair! It's nothing like that at all!" Seth shouted. "God, I would never do such a thing." Seth looked down at the papers in front of him. He decided to let Ryan have a look. He handed him a stack of papers. "This is what's up."

Ryan was lost, as he looked through the stack. It was information on a few Diseases that Ryan had never heard of. "What's this all about?" He asked.

"Yesterday I went to go see my friend Chris from San Diego, you remember him…Short guy with funny looking hair." Ryan nodded and Seth continued. "Well, he refereed me to a neurologist and we did a few tests…And that's what we've come up with so far."

"I don't get it." Ryan replied. "Why did you go see a neurologist?"

Seth hesitated. "I've been having some pain."

"Right, the other day you couldn't move. You told me it was nothing, Seth." Ryan was starting to get mad at him.

"And it wasn't."

Ryan looked down at the stack of papers. "This looks serious, Seth. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? Inclusion Body Myositis?" Ryan started reading them out loud. "Mir-"

Seth interrupted him. "I know what's written down, Ryan. Believe me, I've been staring at it for hours now, trying to comprehend everything." The room fell silent and Seth shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Look, I thought it was nothing but according to Dr. Bell, at the Grace Hospital in San Diego, he said it was something I shouldn't ignore…I have to go back there tomorrow to have a muscle biopsy." Seth explained. "They need to look at my muscle tissue to figure out exactly what's wrong and to rule out a few things."

"So, when do you plan on telling Summer about all of this?" Ryan asked.

"I wasn't planning on telling her anytime soon." Seth replied. "Once my muscle tissue is examined, I'll know what's wrong and then maybe after that I'll tell her. Just not now."

"Don't you think she has a right to know? I mean, she thinks you're cheating on her."

"I just need to go to San Diego for just one more day and then after that everything will go back to normal again." Seth assured him. "Come on, man, if it were you in my situation…I'm guessing you would do the same thing?"

"Probably not, but I guess you're right. Wait for the test result to come back and then tell her what's up. It could be nothing, right?"

Seth shrugged. "I don't know. I hope it's nothing, but the way I've been feeling these past few weeks…Ryan, somethings wrong me." Seth ran his hands threw his Jew-Fro. "Well, no use worry about it, huh? Whatever happens, happens." Seth stood up. "Promise me you won't tell anyone? I just need to keep this a secret for now until I know what's really wrong."

"Okay, I promise but you better call me as soon as you find out tomorrow."

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You like? Don't like? REVIEW!


	3. 3

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing but the children in the story. (Please read and review!)

A/N: I promise to be nice. I'm giving you guys an early update. I'm amazed by all the reviews I've gotten over a span of only a couple of days. I still can't get over it. All mistakes are mine.

I must address now…(I normally don't do this but I thought I should.)

Carpanthers21 – Yeah, Ben moved out because he is in college now. I mentioned it in the epilogue in 'Patience Still Waiting'. He should show up soon…Don't worry. I have something up my sleeve for him.

Kat/KrazyKamaka-zGurl89 – You two are awesome. I love the enthusiasm! (Two times every four hours! Whoa! I hope you like the fast update.)

To everyone else – You guys are my best friends.

----Now back to the story----

CHAPTER THREE

The Newport Group was really hectic today. It was one of those days where everything was just going wrong on so many levels. On several occasions Ryan thought of calling Kirsten, who was now retired, but decided not to disturb her. She was probably off golfing somewhere with Sandy anyway.

All afternoon Ryan kept on looking at his cellphone to see if Seth had called him but he hadn't. It was nearing five o'clock and Ryan knew that Seth should be home by now with some kind of news. He hoped that it was good news, but he knew any news that Seth would get would be bad news either way. It was a matter of to which extreme.

Ryan decided to leave the office and go home. Whatever that he needed to do, could be done tomorrow. Instead of going home first, Ryan drove to Seth's house.

He knocked on the door of the Cohen's house and heard Summer yelling at Elijah to answer the door. Ryan saved his nephew the trouble and walked into the house. "Hey." Ryan walked into the kitchen. Summer pulled a dish out from the stove.

"Does this look burnt to you?" She asked Ryan, showing him the dish.

"Uh, no." Ryan lied. "Just well done but it smells great."

"Are you here for Seth? He's not here." Summer informed him. "He just called me on his cellphone and said that he was running late. Something about a kid having some attack or something. Who knows?"

"Oh, right. Well, tell him I dropped by and to call me." Ryan replied. "I'll see you later." He said and then started walking out.

"Wait, Ryan…Can I ask you something?" Summer caught up with him.

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"I know Coop got you to ask Seth if everything was okay with him and all…She said that you said that he said that everything was fine." Summer shook her head. "Wow, that was confusing."

Ryan agreed. "Yeah. Everything's cool though. He just said that he was stressed about…Work and all. I guess the sick people are really getting to him." Ryan added. "Don't worry about it." He assured her. "Nothing's going on with him." Ryan lied to her.

"Well, its not like I was worried about him or anything. It's Cohen, we're talking about!" Summer exclaimed.

Ryan knew that Summer was just putting up a front. He could tell that she was concerned about Seth. He hoped that Seth got home soon with any kind of news on what was wrong.

"Yeah, well…I." Ryan pointed to the door. "If I don't get home soon Marissa might suspect that something's up."

"Gotcha."

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"Seth!" Summer shouted at him, as he walked through the front door. "Where have you been! I called the office and they said you weren't there and then I called your cellphone and you weren't picking up! You said you'd be home soon! It's a quarter to nine!" She placed her hands on her hip and waiting for his excuse.

Seth stared at her and shook his head. He hadn't planned on getting sick and having to go to San Diego. He hadn't planned on lying to his wife either. Seth opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words.

"Well?" Summer tapped her foot. "Where have you been?" She knew something was up. Seth wasn't talking – that was a first.

"I – I…I don't know." Seth said, laughing. It was the only thing he could do now. Laugh. He didn't know what else to do. He wasn't equipped with the emotions to deal with what was now on the surface. He walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through the fridge. "What was for dinner?" He asked.

"You're getting nothing but a lump of coal if you don't tell me where've you been all day. Your secretary told me that you didn't go into work today."

"Where's this lump of coal?" Seth asked, looking around in the fridge. "It'd be like living with my parents all over again." He joked.

"Cohen, answer me!" Summer yelled at him.

Elijah walked into the kitchen and stared at his parents.

"I took the day off, okay!" Seth yelled at her. He grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and walked outside through the patio doors.

"Cohen!" Summer yelled at him once more, but he ignored her.

"Mom, what's wrong with dad?" Elijah asked.

"He's a pathological liar." Summer replied. "I'd watch yourself…I here it's hereditary." She patted him on the head and left the kitchen.

Elijah scratched his, ever so small, Jew-Fro and went outside to go find his dad. "Hey." Elijah found his dad slouched down in a pool chair with his eyes closed. "What are you doing?"

Seth opened one eye and then closed it. "Thinking."

"Mom said you're a pathological liar. Does that mean I'm one too?" Elijah asked. "I'd rather not be one. Only because I already have few friends as it is and if they found out that I'm a pathological liar…Well…Then I would have zero friends."

Seth sat up in his pool chair and frowned. "She said I'm a pathological liar?"

Elijah nodded. "Will I become one too?"

"No, because I'm not one." Seth replied.

"Then where did you go today?"

"You're real nosy, you know that?" Seth stood up from the pool chair and started pacing.

"It comes with being the only child." Elijah replied.

"True." Seth stopped pacing. "You should get ready for bed. If your mom asks, tell her I'm at Uncle Ryan's, okay?"

"Sure. Goodnight, Dad." Elijah said and then left.

Seth walked over to Ryan's house and walked in. He rarely ever knocked. "Hey." He said, walking into the kitchen. Ryan was sitting at the table with Connor helping him with his Math homework.

"Where have you been?" Ryan questioned.

"Dude, don't start. I'm really not in the mood. Could we just go somewhere?" Seth asked.

"Sweet." Connor exclaimed. He was just trying to find an excuse to give to his Dad and now he had one. He couldn't do his homework without his Dad's help. "I'd love to stay and chat Uncle Seth, but I've got some important phone calls to make to some very important girls."

"No more than an hour." Ryan called out, as Connor ran upstairs to his room. "So, where do you want to go?" He asked, turning to Seth.

"Anywhere with food. I'm starving."

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"Are you sure that dad's a pathological liar, Mom?" Elijah questioned, as he climbed into bed.

Summer tucked him in and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't worry, Eli. The chances of you becoming one are very slim. You're an honest boy." She turned off the lights. "Goodnight." She closed his door halfway and went downstairs to call Marissa.

Marissa picked up the phone after three long rings.

"Coop, it's me. Is Seth there?" Summer asked quickly.

"No, he went out with Ryan. Is everything okay?" Marissa asked.

Summer hesitated. "I don't know. We yelled at each other and then he left. God, he's such an ass!" Summer slammed her fist down on the counter. _Ow, _she curled her fist into a little ball and kissed it. "I really need to come over right now, Coop. Can I come over?"

"Oka-"

Summer dropped the phone down quickly and ran over to Marissa's house. "Coop!" She said, walking into her house. "I swear I'm going to kill him."

Marissa took Summer's hand and led her into the living room. "What happened?" She sat down with her on the couch.

"He lied to me! He said that he was at work all day today, but he wasn't. I called his work and his bimbo secretary said that he took the day off!" Summer exclaimed. "He's up to something." Summer said frantically. She was starting to think that Ryan lied to her. Come to think of it, Ryan seemed very urgent to talk to Seth today. "Did Ryan say anything else to you?"

"I already told you want he said. He said Seth was fine." Marissa replied. "Maybe he's just…Stressed out or something."

"So, he took the whole day off without telling me? I've been begging him to take a day off so we could spend some alone time together. I just don't get it! How could he lie to me like that? We never lie."

Marissa didn't know what to tell Summer that wouldn't upset her. She was starting to think that Ryan lied to her too.

"Coop, what should I do? Do you know where they went?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, but I'm sure they'll be back soon. They both have to get up early for work tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, that's if Cohen's going or not." Summer mumbled.

"Okay, Sum, I think you just need to calm down. Why don't we just pop in a movie and wait for them to come home? Maybe Seth just needs some alone time…With Ryan. It's possible, you know. Guys like to do that too, just like girls."

Summer sighed. "Okay, but I'm still killing him when he gets back."

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"Inclusion…What?" Ryan asked.

"Inclusion Body Myositis." Seth repeated, as a waiter put down a plate of fries in front of him. "It's a muscle disease that causes, you know…weakness. My muscles are pretty much deteriorating as we speak."

"Seth…"

"No, I'm serious." Seth held up a fry and continued to explain. "Dr. Bell said it was going to get worse. With some patients it's a slow process, but with others…Well, let's just say I could possibly be in a wheelchair by the time I'm forty-five." Seth laughed. He knew it was no laughing matter, but he didn't know what else to do. He was still trying to take it all in right now. He was glad Ryan was with him right now and that he wasn't alone.

"What about treatment? Can't they do something – anything?" Ryan asked quickly.

"There's no cure, Ryan. The only thing they can do for me right now is to prescribe me some prednisone. Which, I will gladly take."

Ryan nodded. "You have to tell Summer, man." Ryan grabbed one of Seth's fries and ate it. "She's really starting to suspect something and it's not good."

"Yeah, I know…We got into a fight before I came over to your house and it was so stupid. I should have told her what was really going on." Seth agreed. "I just wasn't thinking." He shook his head. "How am I supposed to tell her what's wrong with me, Ryan? I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

"Because I need to deal with it myself first. I need to understand this disease and work with it before I tell Summer and Elijah."

"Seth, you need your family's support."

"I have you, don't I?" Seth asked.

"Of course. I just think that Summer and Elijah have the right to know. What if something happens and they don't know what is wrong with you? Then what? They will freak out and things will get worse." Ryan replied.

"Things won't get worse, Ryan." Seth assured him. He wanted to believe himself, but he wasn't sure if he could. All he wanted was for things to go back to normal. He wanted to know that everything was going to be all right. "Don't worry about it." Seth opened his wallet and put down some money. "Don't say anything to Marissa, okay?" Seth stood up.

Ryan stood up and followed Seth out of the restaurant. "If things get worse…You have to tell Summer and you will sooner or later. If you don't tell her then I will."

"Thanks." Seth slapped him on the back. "I knew I could count on you."

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By the time Ryan got back home, Summer and Marissa were passed out on the couch in the living room. Ryan shook Marissa's shoulder and kissed her. "Hey, were you waiting up for me?" Ryan asked.

Marissa sat up and smiled at him. "Maybe."

Ryan glanced over at Summer, who was still sleeping. "You two have a girls night or something?"

"No. She was waiting up for Seth." Marissa replied and shook Summer awake.

Summer jumped off the couch and fixed her hair. "Where's Cohen?" Summer looked around.

"He's home…Where else would he be?" Ryan asked.

"Right. Home. Goodnight, guys." Summer said and then left.

Ryan sat down next to Marissa and planted another kiss on her lips. "Are the kids asleep?" Ryan asked, kissing her neck.

Marissa giggled. "Both are out like a light." She replied.

"Well, that's just too bad…" Ryan mumbled and picked her up. He carried her upstairs to their room and placed her on the bed. "This brings back memories." Ryan recalled the first time where he had to carry her to bed.

"What?" Marissa asked, as Ryan stared down at her.

"I was just thinking of the first time I had to carry you to bed. You wouldn't remember though, because you were passed out from drinking too much." Ryan laughed. "Glad that's over with." He said, as he lay down next to her.

Marissa turned to face him. "I'm glad that it's over too." She kissed him and then lay down on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Ryan ran his fingers through her soft brown hair and smiled to himself.

"Is Seth okay, Ryan?" Marissa asked, not looking up at him but focusing on the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Yeah." Ryan lied.

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I know a lot you of you guys wanted Seth to tell Summer about the whole disease thing, but I felt that he needed to hide it in this chapter. It's all about the drama, right? I'm sure there will be lots in the next chapter. Stay tuned!


	4. 4

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing but the children in the story. (Please read and review!)

A/N: A late update…I know, I know but I have a perfectly good explanation! Aliens stole my brain. No, just kidding - although I'm sure it's a possibility. But, no…I decided to take the long weekend off and go up to my cottage. I wrote most of this chapter under my sleeping bag, while swatting away all those damn mosquitoes. Note to self: Buy some bug repellent. Oh-Again, the reviews were amazing. I hope I don't disappoint anyone with this chapter! Sorry for any mistakes too…I wrote it waaaaaay too fast. (It's what I call a filler')

CHAPTER FOUR

Instead of reviewing over the plans for the new mall that was being built next spring, Ryan focused his attention to the laptop in front of him. He'd gone through some extensive researching on Seth's disease. Inclusion body myositis was no joke at all. He realized that all of what Seth enjoyed doing now, he would no longer be able to enjoy. Simple everyday tasks will soon turn into painful tasks. Upon his research, Ryan also discovered that a small percentage of patients lose some of their speech, as well as most of them have trouble swallowing.

Ryan closed the laptop down in front of him and leaned back in his chair, lifting his feet up to his desk.

A knock came at the door and before Ryan had a chance to welcome the visitor inside his office, the visitor barged in.

"Ben – " Ryan rose to his feet and greeted his eldest son.

"Hey, dad." Ben sat down in a chair. Ryan noticed that Ben was wearing a baggy sweater and jogging pants. Something must be up, Ryan thought to himself. Ben was the type of teenage to wear a polo shirt and khakis. "You got a minute?" He asked.

"Of course." Ryan sat down on top of his desk. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's great. Fine. Great." Ben quickly replied. "I, uh…took the week off from work at the Crab Shack. I've been spending a lot of time with Fiona. She actually just moved in with me yesterday." Ben said.

Ryan knew that sooner or later the two lovebirds would move in with each other, but Ryan wasn't sure if this was the best time for both of them. "What about your school work, Ben? You'll be starting College this September. You need to focus on your studies."

"Dad, please…We've been together since freshmen year." Ben replied, lowing his head to his chest. "But…That's not really why she moved in." He admitted.

Ryan looked down at his son. "What?" Ryan asked.

"I said…That's not really why she moved with me." Ben repeated.

Ryan sighed. "Yeah, I heard that, but I meant why? What's the reason for her moving in with you? I mean, wasn't she planning on going to New York this fall?"

Ben looked up at his dad with glazed eyes. "No, not anymore." He replied. "Shit, I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Dad." He mumbled, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do. I mean, I haven't even started college yet." He shouted, and then lowered his voice. "I'm only nineteen."

"Ben, what's wrong? What are you talking about?" Ryan questioned.

"She's pregnant." Ben blurted out.

Ryan's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Fiona's pregnant? Do you know for sure that the baby's yours?" Ryan asked.

Ben nodded. "I've been with her for over four years, dad." Ben started choking on his sobs. He couldn't control himself any longer. All week he had held himself together in front of Fiona, but now he couldn't help himself.

"It's okay." Ryan squeezed his shoulder. "We'll figure this out." Ryan assured him, even though he was furious at Ben right now.

Ben studied his father. "I don't want to figure this out, dad. I'm nineteen…I'm about to go to College. I can't have a baby." He cried out.

Ryan knew how he felt. He remembered how he felt when Theresa had given him the news that she was pregnant, right before his senior year. Throughout the summer he had helped her, but in the end the baby turned out not to be his and he was off the hook. Ben wasn't off the hook. Fiona was pregnant with his child.

Ben wiped his tears. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean for any of this." He whispered.

"It's okay, I know you didn't." Ryan's fatherly instincts kicked into gear and he embraced his son, rubbing his back. "We'll get through this." Ryan assured Ben, while he listened to his light sobs.

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Connor grabbed the remote control from his younger sister's grip and changed the channel. There was only so much of the teenybopper crap he could take in one day.

"Hey!" Emily pounced on top of Connor. "Give it back!"

Connor shoved the remote down his pants and grinned at her.

"Give it back!" Emily pulled at Connor's ears. He did the same to her ears and Emily shrieked in pain. "Ow!"

Ryan sighed, walking into the house and dropping his briefcase to the ground. He was in no mood to take care of screaming children right now. "Both of you, cut it out!" Ryan yelled at them. They each dropped each other's ears and turned to face the television. "Both of you go to your rooms…You're both grounded." Ryan said.

"What the hell?" Connor jumped off the couch. "We didn't do anything but innocent ear pulling. What kind of crime is that?" He asked.

Ryan rubbed his temples. "Just go to your rooms…I have no time to explain my actions right now." He replied.

Connor glared at Ryan and walked past him, taking the flight of stairs two at a time. Emily followed her brother upstairs without an argument.

"Hey, I heard yelling…" Marissa walked into the house through the patio doors and saw Ryan. "Hey, where are the kids?" She asked, noticing their absence from the living room.

"Grounded." Ryan replied. He walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker.

"Okay?" Marissa laughed and hugged him from behind. Ryan tensed up in her embraced and she frowned. "Is everything okay, Ryan?" She asked.

Ryan turned around and kissed her, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. "I love you." He whispered into her ear.

Marissa giggled. "Thank you. I love you too…Now what are you hiding?" She asked. Ryan glared at her. "Come on, it's usually…I love you but, Emily's soccer comes first before her ballet. Or it's, I love you but, Ben should really move out on his own if he wants to. Or, I love you, but – "

Ryan let go of her waist. "Okay, you got me." He gave her a small smile. "But I still love you." He pecked her on the cheek and returned to his coffee making abilities. He poured two cups of coffee and set the down on the kitchen table.

Marissa sat down across from him and sipped the coffee from her mug. "So, what's wrong?" She asked.

From the minute Ryan left the Newport Group he'd been trying to find the right words to tell Marissa about Ben. All along, Marissa wasn't up with the idea of Ben moving out of the house. She wanted him to stay home, but Ryan had insisted that Ben make his own decisions. He remembered telling her that if she kept him on a short leash too long, he will never learn from his own mistakes.

There wasn't an easy way to put it. Fiona was pregnant and Ben was the father. Ryan swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's Ben, Marissa." Ryan explained. "Fiona's pregnant." Marissa didn't say anything. "Fiona's pregnant with Ben's child."

"I heard you." Marissa said, sternly. "I knew something like this would happen." She ran her fingers along the rim of the coffee mug. "I knew it." She repeated.

"Marissa, this has nothing to do with him moving out." Ryan replied.

Marissa shook her head. "I never knew they were having sex." She whispered and Ryan almost laughed. Of course they were having sex. "I want him home. He needs to come home." Marissa said, frantically. "He shouldn't be alone."

"He's not alone. Fiona's living with him…She just moved in with him the other day." Ryan replied.

"I don't care. I want him back home."

"Marissa, he's nineteen. He's not going to listen to what his mother wants. When you were his age, you never listened to what your mother wanted." He added, changing the subject.

"My mother's a different story." Marissa shouted at him and then lowered her voice. "I'm not like my mother and you know that. I just think that he needs his mother right now. He needs me."

"Okay, well…You can talk to him, but – " Ryan stopped, as he heard Seth walk into his house. "Seth." Ryan said, walking into the foyer. He noticed that Seth's face was white as a ghost.

"Hey, man…Can we, uh, talk about stuff?" He asked.

"Sure."

Marissa walked into foyer. Her face showing no signs of the conversation that she had just had with Ryan. "Hey, Seth." She, too, noticed his paleness.

"Hey." Seth smiled. "I was just on my way home…Thought I'd drop by and say hi. So, hi." He waved at her.

"Hi." Marissa waved back at him.

"Okay, so I'm going to go now." Seth said, opening the front door.

"I'll walk you." Ryan followed him outside. Once they were down the lane way Ryan broke the silence. "Okay, this has got to stop. I can't do this anymore. You need to tell Summer because I can't lie to Marissa any longer."

Seth nodded.

"I know it's hard, I get it…I just think that you need Summer by your side on this. She needs to know what's wrong with you." Ryan explained.

"I know."

"So you'll tell her?" He asked.

Seth nodded again. "Well, if I'm going to be quitting my job soon, then I'll have to give her a good explanation now, wouldn't I?

"What are you talking about? Why are you quitting your job?"

"Dude, don't you get it? I'm at risk to my patients." Seth replied. Today he was giving a baby a needle in the arm and his hand gave out on him. Pain surged throughout his hand and he ended up scaring not only the baby but also the mother. "I can't screw up…If I screw up then I lose my license. So, why not quit ahead of the game, right?"

"Are you sure you want to quit though? Your job means everything to you." Ryan stopped as they reached Seth's front door.

"I wish I didn't have to." Seth shook his head. "I just don't know what else to do." Seth gripped the door handle. "I guess now's the time to tell Summer, huh?" Ryan nodded. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, man. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure." Seth replied and walked inside.

Elijah and Summer were in the kitchen baking cooking when Seth walked into the house. Elijah looked up at his mom, as he rolled the cookie dough into a tiny ball. "Are you still mad at dad?" He asked, placing the ball of dough on the greasy pan.

"Of course not!" Summer smiled down at him. "We're just not talking to each other right now."

Seth walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Eli."

"Hey, dad." Elijah jumped off the stool he was standing on and rushed over to him. "Want to see the new game that mom bought me today? It's so cool!" He bounced cheerfully.

"Not right now, buddy. Later though, I promise." He replied. "Summer, can we talk?" He motioned over to the patio doors.

Summer placed the pan inside the oven and set the timer. "We have twenty minutes." She said, taking off her apron and throwing it on the counter. She went outside and sat down on a patio chair. Seth followed her and sat down next to her. "What is it, Cohen?" She asked, impatiently. She wasn't in the mood for another one of their fights. She was tired of fighting with him lately.

"I'm sorry about the other day." He apologized. "I understand where you're coming from. If it were you, lying to me…I would assume the same thing." Seth held up his hands in his defense. Summer had every right to assume that he was cheating on her.

"So, you were lying to me?" Summer asked, anger evident in her voice.

"Yes, I was." Seth replied and then quickly added, "But it was for your own good."

"Cohen, I really don't have time for your mind games. Just tell me what's going on, okay?" She asked.

"You know how I went to San Diego to visit Chris?" Summer nodded. "Well, I didn't just go there to see him exactly. I needed his advice – his opinion." Seth explained, watching Summer's facial expressions. "When I took the day off, the other day, I went to San Diego to have some tests done."

"What kind of tests?" Summer began to worry.

"Summer, I didn't want to scare you or Eli. I wasn't going to tell you until I knew for sure." Seth quickly explained to her. "I have a muscle disease. It's nothing serious, at least not now."

Summer's eyes watered. "Muscle disease?" She repeated. "What kind of muscle disease?"

"Inclusion Body Myositis. Don't worry though, I'm fine, Summer. The doctor prescribed me some medication that should help me with the pain."

Summer nodded her head in agreement, even though she wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Just a few minutes ago she was furious at him and wanted to kill him, but now all she wanted to do was to hug him and never let go.

"So – So, you're okay? I mean, you're not in pain?"

"Please, Summer…It's nothing. Sometimes I'm in pain, but it's nothing, really…I'm not dying." Seth laughed.

Summer slapped his arm and started to cry. "Don't scare me, Seth. If you scare me, I'll hurt you so bad that you'll forget what pain feels like."

"Well, right now that doesn't sound too bad." He smirked.

Summer leaned in and hugged him. "I'm serious when I say I'll hurt you." She said and then kissed him.

"I believe you." Seth kissed her back.

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Someone asked why I called it 'Emotion Is Dead'. Well, you see…I noticed that in the season finale Seth mentioned that he wasn't 'emotionally equipped…' (Remember when Summer and Seth were talking about Marissa and Ryan while they were drinking coffee outside? It was at the starting of the eppy.) Anywho, 'Emotion Is Dead' refers to Seth's emotions and how he has to battle with them. It'll all play its role sooner or later. I promise. – I hope that explains everything. =)

-Also, I realize that I kind of sped through the last scene a bit…I'll make up for it in the next chapter.


	5. 5

Chapter 5

Elijah snatched a piece of bacon off the tray of food that was sitting on the counter.

"Elijah Ezekiel, don't steal your fathers bacon!" Summer yelled at him, as he ran off into the living room. She scooped up the last of the eggs and put them on a plate. "There, perfect." She said to herself, grabbing the tray of food and heading upstairs.

It was nine o'clock in the morning and Seth was still sleeping in bed.

"Wakey, wakey!" Summer set the tray down on the night table next to Seth and crawled into bed next to him. "I cooked you some breakfast." She said, twirling her fingers in his hair.

"What time is it?" Seth mumbled.

"Nine."

"Oh shit." Seth sat up slowly in his bed and saw the food. "You cooked me breakfast?" He asked bewilderedly. Summer rarely cooked, especially breakfast. Her idea of the perfect breakfast would be a glass of orange juice and an energy bar.

"Yup. Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, toast and those hashbrown that you love." Summer picked up the tray and set it on top of Seth's lap. "Eat up." She kissed him on the cheek.

Seth looked at her puzzled. "Summer, you never cook breakfast. Especially breakfast in bed." He stated. "If this is about you wanting to go off shopping today, I don't mind. You can go."

"Cohen, that's not it at all! But if you really do want me to go shopping today, I will. No problem there."

"Then what is this all about?" Seth picked up a bacon and pointed it at her.

"Well, I thought you might like it. I was only trying to help." She responded, as she got up off the bed. "If you don't want it, I'm sure I can just wrap it up and send it to a third world country…"

"Summer, of course I want it. I'm just, well…You don't have to do this."

"Do what?"

"This." He pointed to the breakfast. "Ever since I told you about my disease you've been acting strange and wanting to do everything possible for me." Seth explained.

Summer folded her arms and sat down on the edge of the bed with her head down.

"I'm fine, Summer. Really. I just need things to go back to normal. It can take years for anything drastic to happen." Seth assured her.

"I know." Summer let out a soft cry. "I just…I don't know what to think. I mean, now that you're out of work because of this disease, things are different, you know? I can't ignore what is really happening with you."

Seth nodded. "I know, me too."

Summer stood up and wiped her eyes. "Well, I guess that's the last time I serve you breakfast in bed." She let out a soft laugh.

"Anytime, Summer…Anytime. I love bacon." He crunched into his bacon and smiled. "Thanks." He said in between chews.

"DAD!" Elijah came running into the room and hopped on the bed next to Seth.

"ELI!" Summer screamed at him.

Elijah froze.

"Summer, it's okay." Seth laughed.

Summer ran her hands threw her hair and sighed. "Okay, I'll just go downstairs…you know, do what mothers do…whatever that is." She said and then left.

"Can I have a piece of bacon? Mom wouldn't let me have any downstairs." Elijah lied.

"As many as you want, Eli." Seth put the tray down on the bed and got off the bed. He wasn't really hungry after all. In fact, he was more sick to his stomach with the chaos of thoughts that were haunting his head these days.

"Dad, is it true that you're going to be away from work for awhile?" Elijah asked

"Probably for awhile." For a long while. Possibly for the rest of his life, that is, in medicine. He knew that he could no longer work in the field that he loved. It was too risky for him and his patients.

"Why?" Elijah asked. He was already done with the bacon and was now eating the hashbrowns.

"To be with you and you're mom, Silly." Seth messed up Elijah's small fro.

Elijah dropped his fork and covered his hair with his hands. "Dad, please! It took me forever to style it this morning."

Seth frowned. "You're eight. Who are you styling it for?"

Elijah blushed. "No one." He replied rather quickly.

"No one, huh?" Seth laughed.

Elijah bobbed his head up and down then bounced off the bed and ran out of the bedroom.

"I was hoping to save 'the talk' for another ten years." Seth mumbled to himself as he walked to the bathroom.

* * *

Ben got out of his car and walked up to his – parent's house. He knew that by now his mom would have already heard the news from his dad and he was terrified of what she was going to say or do.

Ben walked inside and looked around the first floor, only to find Connor lounging on the couch in the living room watching a marathon of the simpsons on television.

"I love this show." Ben said, startling Connor.

"Crap, don't scare me like that." Connor held his chest. "I'm too young for a heart attack."

"Whatever. Is mom home?" He asked, sitting down in a chair across from Connor.

Connor shook his dead

"Dad's at work, I assume?"

"He's working from home today." Connor replied with his eyes glued to the television.

Ben stood up and walked away. "Nice to see you too, bro." He mumbled to himself. Passing the kitchen Ben made his way to his dad's study and knocked on the door.

"Open." Ryan called out.

"Hey, dad." Ben walked in and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Everything okay?" Ryan closed the binder shut in front of him and stood up.

Ben shrugged. "Did you tell mom about…about the baby?" He asked.

"I did. She's over at your Grandpa Coop's place. Want some coffee? I was just about to pour myself a cup." He offered.

"Sure." Ben followed his dad into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. "Dad…" Ben stopped and shook his head. "I don't know what to do."

Ryan put down a cup of coffee in front of Ben and sat down at the kitchen table with his coffee.

"I knew I've always wanted kids, but I didn't expect to have kids without a college degree." Ben explained.

"Things happened." Ryan knew that things didn't just happen. Mistakes happen, but he wasn't going to tell his son that. "When I was your age I was caught in the same situation."

"Dad, I know, but the kid wasn't even yours."

"For nine months it was mine. And for those nine months I was scared to death." He replied, honestly. "I did what you and Fiona are doing. I moved in with the girl and I gave her everything that there was to give her. You can't change anything, Ben, all you can do right now is help Fiona through this pregnancy."

"I know." Ben mumbled. "It's just…I don't think I can. I don't think I can raise a child right now. I'm nineteen. I want to go to school and have fun. Party. Anything but raising a child right now." Ben stopped and took a sip of the steaming hot coffee. "Now that Fiona's moved in…Things are different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know, we get into fights more often now and it's only been two days. You'd swear she's hitting menopause by the way that she is acting."

"She's pregnant what do you expect?"

Ben shrugged.

"Look Ben, I'm going to warn you. Fiona is going to be up and down. Your mother was like that and I'm sure she will be too. But once this baby arrives things'll get better, you'll see."

"Yeah, I'll be in debt and I won't have a life."

"Well then, I guess you can say that you've a lesson?" Ryan asked.

"You have no idea."

Ryan laughed. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"No more unprotective sex – or at least until you have a real job and you're done college."

"Dad, don't say sex. It's kind of freaky and besides, we never had unprotective sex. The condom broke and she never took the morning after pill." Ben explained. He couldn't believe that he was talking about this to his dad.

"There's another lesson. 'Always make sure the girl gets the morning after pill.'" Ryan said, "Oh, I just remembered. I must warn you that your mom is rather…Not happy of being a grandmother right now. You know your mother, she'll do anything to make you come back home."

Ben looked down at his coffee and shrugged. "Maybe I should."

"What?" Ryan was shocked.

"I don't know, maybe it's good to come back home to save more money for the baby. That's kind of the reason why I came to see you today."

"Just because you moved out doesn't mean that you're not allowed back in. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. It's Fiona though. The main reason why she came to live with me is because when she told her parents and they immediately kicked her out of the house. She's catholic and her parents are really hardcore on the 'no sex before marriage' thing." He explained. "I wanted to talk to you and mom and ask if maybe we both could stay here for awhile…Until we have enough money to move out."

"Of course, I mean, if that's what you really want." Ryan was rather pleased with Ben's decision in returning home. He knew how tough it was for him and Theresa when they were teenagers. "Though, I can't speak for your mom, but I'm sure she won't mind Fiona living here if that means that you're coming back home."

"When is she coming home?"

"Not until the afternoon sometime. I'll run if over her, okay?"

"No, that's okay. Don't say anything. I kind of want to talk to her about it if that okay with you?"

"I understand." Ryan finished his coffee and poured himself another. "Want another round?"

"Nah, I've got work at noon, so I should be heading out now. I'll come by after dinner tonight and talk to mom about everything." Ben said and left.

* * *

Seth Cohen put down Elijah's comic book and frowned. "You know Eli, I haven't read comic books in ages and I forgot how much I loved them."

"Well, now you know what you've been missing." Elijah stood up from the couch and fixed his hair. "I'm going to go over to Uncle Ryan's now, okay?"

"You going off to play with Emily?" Seth asked. He was suspicious to what his son was up to. The kid never fixed his hair. Today he had already gelled it four times in only a two hour span.

"Yeah, kinda." Elijah replied. "We're going over to Sarah's house."

"Oh, Sarah's house…I see. Who's Sarah?" Seth questioned.

Elijah looked down at the ground and shrugged. "No one. Just a friend."

"Okay. I won't ask." Seth laughed and patted his son on the back. "I think I'm going to go over to your Uncle Ryan's house as well. Why don't we walk together?"

"Okay."

As soon as Elijah and Emily left Ryan's house, Seth and Ryan went and sat at the kitchen table.

"So, first day of not going into work, how does it feel?" Ryan asked.

"Well, it's great to be home and spending more time with Eli, but at the same time I miss working, you know?"

Ryan laughed, "Uh, kinda. I wouldn't mind a vacation right now. I'm just glad that I have the opportunity to work at home when I want to." He sipped his coffee and then asked, "How is everything with you?"

Seth sighed, "Please, I'm fine and when I'm not I'll be sure to tell you and everybody else, okay." He replied.

Ryan nodded. "You want more coffee?"

"Do you think maybe I can have something a little harder? It's been a weird morning."

"Seth, it's not even noon hour. You never drink, anyway." Ryan replied.

"I do so drink. Just not a lot like my parents, or perhaps, no more than my mom drinks. Hemingway was a big drinker and you know how far he got."

"Is there a point to arguing this?" Ryan asked.

"No, not really."

"Okay, fine. Let's go downstairs to the bar. I wouldn't mind a few drinks myself."

* * *

Sorry for the HUGE stoppage of this story. I'm trying my best to finish this story. And sorry for any mistakes. If fans of this fanfic are still out there, please review. Thank You 


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